Snohomish County Public Works has kicked off its annual road resurfacing programs, improving 88.6 miles of county roads. Motorists will experience a smoother ride on these roads after the work is completed.

Each year, the county evaluates its roads to develop a multi-year plan to preserve and maintain county roads in the most cost-effective way. This year, the county will pave approximately 5.4 miles of road with asphalt through its Paving Program. It will also pre-level and/or chip seal approximately 83.2 miles of road as part of its Chip Seal Program.

Paving Program
This year’s paving work will take place between May and October. Sidewalk ramps will also be upgraded to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, where necessary. The Paving Program focuses on preserving pavement while it is still in fair condition by placing a new layer of asphalt over the existing one. A typical paved road has a serviceable life of 15-30 years depending upon location, traffic volumes, weather, and truck or heavy vehicle usage. The work will be completed by paving contractors and county crews.

Chip Seal Program
Pre-leveling work began in April, while chip sealing work will begin in July. Snohomish County Road Maintenance crews began pre-leveling work in the southeast areas of the county and are working their way north and west. In July, crews will transition to laying chip seals following the same pattern as pre-leveling. Chip sealing is expected to be completed by late September.

As part of the pre-level work, crews will patch potholes and improve uneven or failing pavement prior to completing the chip seal work. Chip sealing extends the life of the road surface for an additional seven to 10 years, saving the county money.

Once the chips are pressed into place by rollers, the road is re-opened to traffic. A temporary speed limit of 20 miles per hour will be in effect for the week following the chip seal placement. Adherence to this temporary speed limit will minimize the likelihood of loose, flying chips causing damage to a vehicle’s body or windshield. Crews will return within a week to sweep up any loose chips and, if needed, replace pavement striping.

Both chip seal and paving work are weather dependent and all preliminary schedules are subject to change.

Work is scheduled for the following unincorporated areas of Snohomish County:

County area Number of road locations Total Road Miles
Arlington 3 2.8
Clearview/Maltby 3 4.1
Darrington 7 4.1
Ebey Island 9 2.6
Fobes Hill 13 8.7
Granite Falls 3 22.1
Lake Stevens/Machias 4 3.6
Lynnwood 2 1
Marysville 4 0.8
Mill Creek 3 0.4
Monroe 16 12
Snohomish 24 18
South County 6 2.5
Sultan/Sky Valley 3 5.3
Tulalip 1 0.6

For more information about the Paving Program or Chip Seal Program and maps of the identified roads, visit www.snohomishcountywa.gov/resurfacing.